Focus Of My Heart
by videogamenerd101
Summary: Gary Oak is Misty's crush... until there's a turn of events. Gary asks out Leaf Green right on the same night Misty plans on asking him out! So of course Misty is disappointed. Too bad the only person who can comfort her is the one guy who Gary despises. So there's no reason for Misty not to despise him too. One-shot PokéShipping and OldRivalShipping.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters.**

* * *

"Hey Mist," purrs a familiar voice that I recognize, even from a distance. I cock my head to the right just a little to find that it's Gary Oak, the guy of my dreams. "You're coming to my party tonight, right?" He leans on a locker that's right next to mine as I stuff all of my books and binders into my red backpack.

"Of course I am!" I reply with a sheepish smile. I blush a very faint pink as I try to hide my face in my locker, pretending to organize it. "You throw the best parties ever!"

"I know I do," he boasts, stroking his spiky brown hair. "Anyways, I can't wait to see you tonight." He winks at me playfully as he walks outside to the parking lot, his big blue backpack on his back.

I continue to stare longingly at that awfully gorgeous playboy as he walks out of my sight. I think about what would most likely happen tonight. I'd get drunk along with May, Dawn, and Marina; we'd be dancing together or we'd be playing in the pool; and then the next door neighbors (a.k.a. the party poopers) would scold us for having the music at such a loud volume or for being too chaotic. His parties are always crazy and hectic, but they are all _so_ worth going to.

I zip up my backpack and put it on when I feel a presence of someone familiar next to me. I turn my head around to see May, Dawn, and Marina. They all look eager to tell me something.

_Oh boy, _I think. _What could it possibly be this time…?_

"You're going to Gary's party tonight, right Misty?" questions May excitedly as she clasps her hands together.

I roll my eyes at her question and let out a sigh. "Is that really what everyone is talking about, Gary's party? …But yes, I _am_ going."

"Oh, goodie!" exclaims Dawn, letting out a smile.

"You should totally ask out Gary tonight, Misty!" suggests Marina as she twirls around in a circle. "Do you see the way that he flirts with you? He's obviously crushing!"

I sigh again, irritated by their impudence. "Guys, you know that asking him out is easier said than done," I point out, drooping my head in the process. "He's always being fawned over by so many fangirls, and if they ever find out about my crush on Gary, I'll be at the very top of their hit list. Next thing you know, I'll be nothing more than a faint memory at this school."

"May already put that under consideration," states Dawn with a smirk. "All you have to do is make sure that you ask him out in secret when no one else is around him. And no need to worry about that. The three of us will make sure that those annoying fangirls don't get in your way."

By now, the usually crowded hallways are almost completely deserted, only the four of us and a wandering couple in sight. It's also so eerily silent, sending chills down my spine.

"Do you guys really think that it will work?" I ask, standing up as I put my backpack on.

"Hey, it worked for me!" shouted May at a pitch that's a bit higher than she intended. "Remember what happened at Gary's last party? Drew and I got totally drunk and we made out right there, and now we're in such a serious relationship! Right, Marina?" She looks over at Marina who's staring at a boy with a yellow and black cap. I think his name is Jimmy Kenta, the guy who me, May, and Dawn believe is Marina's crush.

Dawn elbows Marina's arm, a smirk on her sweet face. "Admiring Jimmy again?" She taps her finger on her chin. "Marina Kenta… that's got a nice ring to it."

Marina begins to blush a deep cherry red as she stops gazing at Jimmy and turns her attention to Dawn, ready to scoff at her endlessly. "I do not like Jimmy! We're just friends, and that's it! You got it, Berlitz?!"

"Sure," Dawn comments sarcastically as she crosses her arms in confidence. "If you don't like Jimmy, then who _do _you like?"

"Uh… Niall Horan, from One Direction!" answers Marina. "He's, like, _the _hottest guy ever!"

"Well, One Direction _is _pretty cute…" admits May, blushing. "I mean, just look at Harry. How can you not resist him?"

I face palm, knowing that May and Marina will continue chatting about how cute One Direction is.

_Will they ever stop talking about their celebrity crushes? _I think.

I look over at Dawn and notice a similar bored expression in her midnight blue eyes. I give her a little grin and she smiles back.

Suddenly, I feel my cellphone vibrate in the pocket of my denim shorts. I quickly take it out, flip it open, and see that the text I just received is from none other than Gary Oak. I read what it says and I can't help but beam.

_I can't wait for you to come to my party, Mist. This is gonna be the best one of them all._

As I stuff my phone back into my pocket, I can't help but wonder what Gary could possibly be planning to do tonight.

* * *

"What the hell, Drew?!" shrieks May, laughing like crazy. She falls down into Gary's outdoor pool with Drew jumping in right after her. I hear May try to say something, but her voice is muffled by all the pool water in her mouth.

"What did you say, May?" asks Drew flirtatiously, rising up to the surface of the water. His emerald green hair is utterly soaked, making it harder for him to flick his hair like he usual does. "I couldn't hear you. You said that I'm sexy, right?"

May tries to respond again, most likely trying to say something nasty, but her mouth is already occupied with Drew's kisses as she rises up to the surface along with him.

I take a shot as I watch May and Drew messing around with each other in the pool. I'm glad that May is finally able to be with her dream guy, yet I feel a pang of jealousy every time I see them together. I look over at Marina who's inside Gary's house, dancing along to the blasting music, holding hands with Jimmy. It seems to me that Marina has finally admitted her feelings for him, or she's just too drunk that she doesn't care.

_This is nasty, _I think, the taste of the shot still lingering in my mouth. _How do people stand drinking this?_

I take a seat on a lounge chair next to Dawn. A splash of pool water hits our barefoot feet as Gary and a bunch of girls from the school's cheerleading squad have a water fight. The cool chilly breeze of the night feels good against my neck as I put up my fiery red hair into my signature side ponytail. Dawn takes a sip out of her cocktail as she sees Paul walk by us.

"Hey Paul," Dawn greets. But Paul just gives her a strange look, shoves his hands down his pockets, and walks away like nothing happened. Dawn sighs, knowing that her attempt to flirt with him didn't go as planned.

"It's okay, Dawn," I say in a comforting tone. "Just because Paul isn't very social, that doesn't mean you should give up on him."

"I know, but…" Dawn begins, "But I don't think he likes me back. What if he doesn't believe in love at all?"

"Aw, come on!" I urge, standing up as I begin to lecture to her. "What happened to your usual saying? 'No need to worry!' So stop worrying about the negatives, and think about the bright side! Try to talk with him. He might open up to you."

"I'll give it a try, Misty," Dawn says obligingly, letting out a sigh. "But you still have to ask out Gary, you know."

_Crap, _I think. _How could I forget?_

"Yeah, I know…" I reply. "Don't worry about that. I will… soon."

Dawn smiles at me and nervously heads over to where Paul is. I watch her as she tries to start a conversation with him, although he just continuously tries to get away from her. Eventually, after enough of Dawn's annoyances, Paul seems to finally accept her presence. They seem to be chatting and enjoying themselves, although Paul seems a bit disturbed by the amount of body that Dawn is showing with her pink bikini on.

_May, Dawn, and Marina are all with their crushes… Now it's my turn, I guess._

I see Gary getting out of the pool, a bunch of crazy fangirls in bikinis of various colors following after him. I know that it's rude to stare, but no matter how hard I try to get my eyes off of his bare chest, my eyes won't budge.

As he walks by me, he notices me staring at him and gives me one of his usual flirty smiles. I smile back and exclaim, "Hey Gary!"

"Hey Misty, I knew you'd make it," he greets, approaching me. "I've got something I wanna ask you. Can you come into the house with me?" He takes my hand and helps me up, making me blush.

"Sure!" I respond. I look behind me and see all of his fangirls give me icy glares as Gary takes me inside. He walks into the house, neon lights glowing from the ceiling. I see Marina dancing with Jimmy, the both of them on the middle of the dance floor. Songs are booming out of the most expensive speakers I've ever seen. I'm surprised that the next door neighbors haven't come to scold us yet, considering the volume of the music. I follow him to the back of his house and into a narrow hallway until we reach what looks like his room. He turns on a light so our surroundings are visible.

It's just a regular, normal room, and there's nothing of interest in here. There's a bed with pitch black covers that's standing on the right side. A good-sized window is on the wall, letting in some moonlight. A study desk with a bunch of school papers and books stands in the far left corner. Gary takes me to his desk and he picks up a silk pouch that's wrapped in a green ribbon.

"Say, Misty," begins Gary. "You're a girl, so I think you can help me out here."

"What is it?" I ask, curious about what's in the pouch.

"Well," he starts as I notice a blush appear on his face. "There's this girl that I've had my eye on for a long time, but I don't know how she feels about me, so I want to give her this gift." He shakes the small pouch. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"It depends on what's inside it," I answer eagerly. "Can I see it?"

"Okay…" he replies after a moment of contemplation. "But… don't tell her about it. It's a surprise, after all."

_Is it… for me? _I think as he hands me the pouch. _Oh, I hope it is._

I carefully untie the green ribbon with a huge smile on my face, believing that whatever this gift is, it's for me. I mean, why would he pull me away from all his crazy fangirls just so the two of us can be alone? Inside the pouch, I feel something cold and hard, and I also finger an engraving. I can't make out what it says, though. I gently pull it out, my gut feeling telling me that whatever this gift is, it's mine.

Oh, how Gary never ceases to surprise me.

It's a twenty-eight karat gold necklace, one of the prettiest and most romantic gifts I have ever laid my eyes on. The necklace glitters and sparkles, even with the lights. I then see a bit of green on a part of the necklace that entices me. After I lay my eyes on it, I realize that I probably shouldn't have looked at it in the first place.

As I see what the green is, I know that I should never have fallen in love with Gary Oak in the first place.

I see that the small green area that's hanging off of the pure gold necklace is a green leaf with the name Leaf Green engraved on the back.

_How… how could it be? _I think, my smile quickly turning into a frown. _After all these months… I thought that Gary likes me, and it's so evident by his flirting. So how could that special someone be someone other than me?!_

"It's for Leaf, as you can tell," mentions Gary as he sees me looking at the engraving on the back of the cold, metal leaf. "Do… do you think she'll like it?"

"Um…" I mumble disappointedly, unsure of what to tell him. I swear that I can feel tears forming in my sea green eyes, which isn't something that happens pretty often. "She… she'll love it. I just know it, Gary, especially since it's from such a sweet guy like you. I'm not sure if Leaf likes you back, but she'll love you for this, and I'm sure if it." I put the necklace back in the silk pouch, tie the green ribbon, and hand it to him. "You should give it to her now. And I'll be there to support you, because…" I trail off, unable to form the last words, knowing how heartbreaking it would be for me.

_Because I care about you, Gary._

"Thanks Mist," he says as he takes the pouch and puts it in his pocket. "This cost a lot of money, so I'm crossing my fingers that she likes it." After a moment of silence between the two of us, he finally says, "You're a really great friend, you know."

I look up as he catches me off guard by his words. "Huh?" is all I manage to say.

"You and Leaf… you two are both so completely different from every other girl I know. All those annoying cheerleaders just want me because of my hotness. But you two just like me for who I am, and I'm really grateful for that."

I force out a smile, even if all I want to do right now is cry my heart out. But I can't… Not if front of him, at least. Gary will think I'm a wimp if I do. "That's different from anything I've ever heard you say. What happened to the flirty playboy that everyone knows?"

We both laugh, although there's a bittersweet hint to my voice. I'm glad that he's too oblivious to hear it.

"Well, everyone's got a soft side, even me," he answers, although the question is intended to be rhetorical.

"So… Aren't you gonna give that to Leaf already?" I suggest after an awkward silence.

"Duh, what do you think, Mist?" he replies, using the one nickname that I absolutely despise. I give an exception to Gary, though. "I'll do it right now, if you want."

"Sounds good to me," I suppress. I follow him as he walks out of his room to ask out his future girlfriend, Leaf Green. We go outside, past the people on the dance floor, and we spot Leaf sitting on a lounge chair near the pool. She seems deeply interested in a thick novel that she's reading.

"Go ahead, Gary," I encourage, playfully elbowing his ribs. "I bet she's waiting for you."

"Oh, um… yeah, you don't have to worry about it, Mist," he says, flushing with embarrassment. He strides over to Leaf and pokes her arm, attempting to grab her attention.

_I hate to admit it, but they do make a cute couple…_

"Hey Misty!" I hear a high-pitched voice exclaim. I turn around to see that it's May, her gravity-defying hair drenched as she's holding another one of Drew's roses. "Did you ask out Gary? What did he say?"

I try to form words on my lips, but it's just too painful.

Instead of giving my best friend a legit answer, I do what my five-year-old self does when I'm down.

I fall into May's arms as a river of tears begins pouring out of my sea green eyes. May quickly clutches me, puzzled by my sudden action. The smell of chlorine from her wet body feels more comforting than ever as my tears flow down swiftly onto my red bikini and her damp beach towel. Being with May makes me feel so much better, even if the ache in my heart isn't ceasing.

"Misty, what did he do to you?" she asks worriedly, but I don't answer. She looks over to where Gary is and sees him with Leaf. "Oh Misty, I'm so sorry! I… I can't believe that he actually chose Leaf over you!" I look into her sapphire blue eyes, noticing that she could possibly start crying any minute now.

"It… It's okay, May," I say as I get out of her embrace, wiping away my tears. "I just want Gary to be happy… And if that means letting him be with Leaf, then I'll be fine with that… I think."

I cock my head over to Gary and watch him as he hugs the shy brunette, her book falling to the ground with a _thud_. They both seem really happy as I see Leaf taking the necklace out of the silk pouch. She puts it on and I can't help but notice how pretty she is.

_Those two are totally meant for each other. They seem so happy. I wish I was Leaf right now…_

"I… I think I need some time alone," I suddenly say, watching Gary and Leaf jump into the pool together, holding hands. "I need some time to absorb this…"

"Okay then," May replies, squeezing my hand to try to comfort me. "I'll be here for you, Misty, whatever you need. You got it?" I nod sullenly. May lets go of me as I walk away.

I go straight to the first place I can think of: the bathroom. Luckily, it's the first room you see right when you enter his house through the backyard. It's not a huge bathroom, as it only consists of a toilet and a sink. I slam the door shut behind me and head to the sink, the sound of music still hearable. I turn on the cold water to wipe away the leftover tear-stains on my face.

It takes me a while for me to finally realize that I forgot to lock the door behind me.

"Ahhh!" I shriek in a high, shrilly voice. "Get out of here, you…!"

I look at the intruder and realize that it's none other than Ash Ketchum, the one guy who Gary hates with all his heart.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he squeaks as he diverts his eyes away, clearly embarrassed that he interrupted a girl… in the _bathroom. _"I didn't think that anyone was in here! I… I'm so sorry! Lock the door next time, will you?"

"Why don't you knock on the door next time and ask if someone's in here?!" I counter angrily.

"Whatever," he comments dryly. "Hurry up with your business in there, will you Mist? I'm about to explode any minute now!"

"Don't hurry me!" I protest. "I'm not even doing anything in here!"

"Then why are in the bathroom?!"

"I don't know!"

"Then get out of there!"

I face palm, realizing that Ash just caught me in a lie.

I hear the door creak and I see Ash opening it, peeking at me to see what I'm doing. He comes in without my permission and crosses his arms.

"I told you to get out, Mist."

"I'm not getting out of here!" I insist. "And don't call me that name! Only Gary can…" At the mention of his name, I look down at my feet, tears beginning to form in my eyes once again.

"Why only Gary?" he wonders earnestly. "You're actually giving an exception to _that _jerk?"

"Yeah…" By now, I can feel a tear trickling down my cheek. "I'm not telling you why, because _you're _the jerk, not Gary."

A smirk suddenly appears on Ash's smug face. "I won't stop bugging you about it if you don't tell me why."

I clench my fists, already annoyed by his annoyances. "Fine. You want the truth, so you'll get it. I like Gary, that's why! And the reason why I'm in this bathroom is because…" I sigh before continuing. "Because he asked out Leaf instead of me."

The smirk that's on his face just gets so much wider. "Aw, poor Mist! You're—"

"Don't call me that!" I demand. Ignored.

"—crush is taken! Taken! You must be _so _sad right now! I bet you just wanna go like this at Leaf." He punches his right hand into the palm of his other hand, cracking his knuckles in the process.

I roll my eyes, completely unimpressed by how immature Ash is. "Yeah, whatever."

"Do you want a hug, Mist?" Ash offers. "I bet you wish that you had someone there… to be with you." All of a sudden, he begins to shuffle his feet on the white tile flooring and blush a faint red.

_Is there something he's trying to tell me? _I think.

"What do you mean?" I question, trying to push him further.

He chuckles, but there's a strange hint to his voice that almost makes him sound like his voice is about to crack. "I bet you want somebody other than your friends, May, Dawn, and Marina, to be with you right now… somebody who can take the place of Gary." He looks at me with a surprisingly grown-up look in his eyes, causing some puzzle pieces in my head to fall apart. "Tell me, Misty. If you weren't as close to Gary as you are now, would you still hate me?"

"I…" I begin, but I can't help but stutter, unsure of how to answer him. "Uh… Of course I'd still hate you!"

"And why would you?" he asks, his face getting closer to me. I realize that my face is getting really hot right now, although I don't know why.

"Um… because…" I start, but I don't know how to finish.

"Hah, so you _don't _have a reason, don't you?" Ash points out smugly. "So I'm pretty sure that you won't mind me doing this."

"Doing—?"

But I can't finish as I feel Ash's lips touch mine.

I begin to panic when he kisses me. I try to pull away, but for some reason, I just can't. My lips are stuck onto his, and I'm actually… enjoying it. The heat I can feel from his skin and his warm lips are surprisingly irresistible.

To my surprise, I can't help but kiss back.

After about thirty seconds, we let go of each other to catch our breath and breath in some needed oxygen. I notice how Ash's face is now as red as my bikini. For some reason, I'm actually smiling. Smiling at the guy I absolutely despise.

_Maybe he's not as bad as I thought…_

"So, do you hate me now, Mist?" he inquires, raising an eyebrow at me.

I realize that I don't mind him using that nickname for me anymore.

"Well…" I start, my right hand holding on to my left elbow. I think I'm blushing right now. "Maybe just a little…"

Ash beams when I say this, and he takes my waist and wraps his arms around it. "So now it's just a little, huh. And it seems like you like it when I do this…"

He leans in and my lips touch his once again, and I'm more than happy to kiss back.

But as we kiss, I finally realize something. I don't need to be getting Gary's attention anymore. He's with Leaf now, and I've admitted that he's better off with her anyways. I don't need to be in love with a popular jock just to satisfy myself. I want to love someone who I love for who he is. Somewhere in my heart, I'll always have feelings for Gary Oak, but one thing is definitely certain.

Ash Ketchum will always be the main focus of my heart.

* * *

**A/N: Was this a bit rushed? I'm sorry if it was. I really wanted to get this down, especially since something similar happened to me...**

**I also wanted to spread a message. So, the moral of the story? Never give up hope, no matter how dire the situation is. Don't let anything depressing get the better of you, because there will always be something, or in this case, someone, who will be there for you.**

**Anyways, enough ranting. How did you like this one-shot? Leave a review, please!**


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